Memory is a tricky thing
by Livinginpublic
Summary: Waking up naked in the middle of a snow covered forest with no memory of who you are or where you came from or how you ended up naked in the middle of a snow covered forest isn't so bad when you run into a mutant who'll hand you a pair of jeans.


For as long as she could remember, she'd had Logan. To be completely fair her memory only went as far back as couple weeks ago, when she'd woken up, in the middle of no-where, stark naked but for an itchy poncho and freezing in the snow. There'd been blood too, but she tried not to think about the details. She'd tried very hard to stop the nightmares from coming back. But, right from the get go, he'd been there.

She'd woken up, taken two steps and he'd tried to shoot her.

To be fair, it was snowing like crazy and all she looked like was a lump of brown - he'd thought she was a deer. But Logan was a shit shot, so if anything it had just scared the crap out of her. He'd given her some clothes, grumbled at her and tried to drop her off in the nearest town.

"You're an idiot for bein' out in the cold kid, you're gonna get yourself killed like that." He'd said. He'd looked angry when he said it too.

"What are you doin' out here anyway?" She'd had to think real hard about that.

She'd started crying then - it was quite embarrassing really, sitting in a stranger's truck, in a strangers clothing, crying your heart out because you couldn't remember why you were in the snow, or where you were, or anything at all really. She couldn't even give him a name when he'd bothered to ask. He called her Kid. She didn't mind. And to be fair again, he really did try to make sure she was set up in the town before he left. Gave her a little money, looked around for a job for her, set her up in the little hotel that was there. He was nice about it, always gave her a very sharp look whenever she said she didn't want something she actually needed. And he was going to leave without her, he'd told her that. He'd never been anything but honest - he didn't feel the need to lie and so neither did she.

"I can't have you tagging along like a pet Kid, you'll get hurt." She didn't argue; he was right.

He ruffled her hair when she was good, laughed when she glared at him, grumbled when he was drunk and she made to much noise. He'd held her down the first night when the nightmares came and she flung herself around in the bed so dangerously he thought she'd hurt herself. After that he sat with her till she went to sleep. She felt safer like that. The nightmares didn't come as often. Then it had come for him to actually leave. He'd set her up in the bar by then, only a week or so later, and she was catching on to being a waitress pretty fast.

"You need a name Kid." He'd said when he'd given her the application form. She'd been confused.

"I thought it was Kid?" He laughed for a while at that.

"Only to me Kid." He'd taken her to the little library so she could pick a name.

He'd picked Jade after flipping through books. She never asked him why he'd picked that, but she'd liked the sound of it. It seemed pretty natural. So that's the nametag she was wearing the night he went to leave. He'd stopped by for a beer and to say goodbye. He'd picked this time to leave on purpose - no need for a strung out goodbye that could get messy; just a drink, a hug and thanks. And she'd gotten that. Logan didn't like being all mushy with his emotions. He was nice, but he wasn't a kitten who'd crawl into your lap and demand attention. The problem was, the bar was busy and she had to keep running off to serve other people instead of staying and talking to him. He didn't seem to mind.

"You're a waitress Kid, you can't favour your friends."

There was a group a bikies running through town. They demanded drinks and food. After a while they started to say and do things that made Jade feel a little uncomfortable, but hey, she hadn't been a waitress long - maybe it was normal. But then one of them touched her and Logan called,

"Alright guys, enough." He had a stern 'I'' voice on, one he'd never used on her. That's when things got a little bit harder. The men seemed to take Logan's warning as a challenge and suddenly they were all touching her as much as they could without him noticing. Jade kept trying to retreat down the bar to Logan and he'd smile at her and glare at them and say

"don't worry Kid, they'll leave soon." She hoped he was right. Her boss was watching the whole interaction but he kept sending her down to the rowdy men.

"Just brush it off toots," he'd said when she went out the back to say she was uncomfortable, "you're hot and they're horny - they tip better when they get a piece of the ass." Then he'd grinned, tapped her butt and pushed her back out to the main bar area.

"You okay Kid?" Logan had asked her when she finally made it out of the back room.

"Yeah." She'd said quietly. She couldn't bother him, say that she didn't like it here, that she didn't like this bar or working in it, that she wanted to go with him. He'd always been honest with her and she'd been honest with him. But she needed to lie a little here. He didn't owe her anything; he needed to go. But he'd frowned at her like he'd KNOWN she was lying and then let out a long breath when the men down the bar called for her attention. She'd wandered down miserably, trying to fake a smile because Logan had told her a good waitress always smiles.

One of the men pulled Jade into their lap and held her there even though she squirmed to get up. And then Logan was there, shoving the man's chair over, pulling Jade away so that she was behind him.

"Go back to the bar Kid." He'd growled, glaring at the men.

"Bu-"

"GO!" She'd gone then, because Logan never got angry at her unless it was serious.

Jade really didn't want anything to happen to Logan and he was only one person, and it was a very big group of other men, almost ten, but Logan didn't seem too scared. That was okay. Jade was scared enough for the both of them. She couldn't hear what they were saying, cuz they were talking in low voices, but one of the men said something that made all the others laugh. And then Jade was staring cuz she certainly didn't remember the part about humans having three very long, very deadly looking claws in each hand. But Logan had them. And the other men weren't laughing anymore. He said some more in his quiet, angry voice that Jade couldn't quite hear and then returned to the bar.

"Get your jacket Kid." He's said angrily. He put the claws away while she did.

"Where are you going? Your shift's not over!" her boss had called when she went to move around the bar, jacket in hand.

"I-" She started, looking at Logan, but her boss cut her off.

"Look, honey, you're a fine peice of ass and we're all gonna grab it just get fuckin' used to it and get back to work!" Then Logan had taken her coat away from her.

"She quits." he'd growled.

Logan didn't even bother explaining and Jade didn't ask. When they got back to the room he'd told her to pack up everything - even though he'd been saying all week she wouldn't be going anyway for a while, so to spread out. But still, she didn't have much, so she'd been quick. And then he was giving the room a once over, paying at a counter and chucking their bags in the truck.

"Logan, are you going?" She asked quietly. She knew he'd go, but really, did he have to take her stuff with him?

"Yeah." He said with a frown, like it should be obvious.

"Oh. Okay." She stepped back so he could drive away more easily. His frown got a little deeper.

"Get in the truck Kid." He said with a shake of his head.

"But you said th-"

"I changed my mind."

She tried not to look completely overjoyed at this new turn of events but Logan gave her one of his little 'you're an idiot' smiles and nodded to the truck. She'd gotten in without complaint. She didn't bother asking where they were going, but they drove for ages. She'd sleep in the truck sometimes, but she still had nightmares - even Logan being nearby didn't stop them. They'd stop for food and sometimes so Logan could sleep too, because even Logan couldn't go more than two days without sleep. He was pretty pissed when they got into the hotel room and there was only one bed, already moving to the couch.

"Logan, I slept in the truck, take the bed." Jade had said. He'd shaken his head and rolled his eyes at her.

"I know I don't look it but I'm not gonna force a lady to sleep on the couch. Go to bed Kid."

"No." Logan was surprised. She'd never really flat out said no to him before.

"What?"

"Logan, get your ass onto the bed." She'd growled. He'd stopped, gone completely still. Then she started to worry - had she broken some kind of rule?

"P-please?" she'd added after a moment. But then he'd laughed and ruffled her hair.

"You're starting to sound like me Kid."

Turns out, neither of them needed to sleep on the couch. Once she was satisfied that he'd taken the bed, Jade moved to take the couch, but he'd caught her up and dragged her down like an oversized teddy bear.

"Go to sleep Kid." He'd muttered tiredly once he had her settled comfortably against him. And she did. There weren't any nightmares that night. After that, beds weren't ever an issue. Even when they'd got put into a room with separate beds, Logan didn't complain when she'd left hers in the middle of the night to snuggle into his. He kept her nightmares away. That's all that really mattered. He seemed to have some kind of end goal, or destination planned out. Jade never asked where they were going. He kept her entertained, brought her a few books. Sometimes she'd read, sometimes they'd talk; sometimes they'd just sit in silence and watch the road. Logan taught her how to drive, slowly, only when he was sure that there were no other cars and when it hadn't been snowing.

"You need to know Kid, what if I get hurt and I need you to take the wheel?" That was all the incentive she needed to learn.

Eventually, however, they pulled up out the front of a massive mansion. It wasn't unlike several others that they'd passed on the way here, so Jade was wondering why this one was so special.

"Come on Kid, there's some people you gotta meet." He'd slung their bags over his shoulder and started toward the mansion. He must have known she was nervous, cuz when she held his hand, he didn't shake it off.

The place was huge, with big, echoic, empty halls. She could hear whispers of voices, like people were talking and she just couldn't SEE them.

"Logan?" A man was walking towards them; he was young, with wavy brown hair and startling blue eyes.

"Hey Professor. How's the new, or rather OLD, body working out?" That must have been some kind of joke Jade didn't get, but the other man laughed.

"Good, good, I'm still surprised it worked!

"And who's this then?" He's asked turning to Jade.

"I'm Jade," she said, offering her hand like she'd seen Logan do when he met someone new. Charles raised an eyebrow at Logan when she did and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

It had been a few hours later, when Jade was sitting and waiting for Logan to come to bed when she overheard them.

"You know she'd completely modelled herself after you. All your actions, she copies them, she thinks they're RIGHT." She didn't catch Logan's reply to that.

"Yeah. Well, she's your responsibility now. You'll have to take her with you to the Avengers."

"That's murder!" he'd growled in reply.

"Not if you keep her safe." Charles had argued. If Logan replied to that Jade missed it once more and then he was coming into the room, meeting her questioning gaze with a roll of tired shoulders and a long, drawn out sigh.

"Come on Kid, time to get some rest. Apparently we're leaving again tomorrow."

Jade didn't really understand what was happening, but when Logan pulled her tight and yawned into her hair, she'd felt comfortable and safe and decided that she really didn't have to.

The first time Jade ever yelled at anyone happened the very next morning.

A man had stopped Logan in the hall as they made to leave - he had a funny red glasses type thing on his head, covering his eyes. A student called him 'Professor Summers' as he passed. Logan gave her one of the lighter bags and told her to put it in the car, probably so that they could talk alone.

When she'd gotten back though, "Professor Summers" as he was called was looking angry and Logan was looking pissed. His hands were clenched, his knuckles white - she knew now that it was a sign he was gonna pull his claws out. She should probably intervene here...

"pid Logan, just stupid. And now, you're just a pathetic, lonely drunk who hides behind his claws because he thinks that makes him brave, when really, it just makes him an idiot."

"HEY!" Neither of the men really expected her to sound quite so loudly - hell, SHE didn't expect to shout quite so loudly.

"He is not an idiot! And he isn't pathetic, OR lonely! He has me! And he's the smartest person I know!" Jade said loudly. She was shouting, yeah, she knew that, but he was being very, very rude and Jade didn't like it one bit. It made her stomach feel tight and angry.

"You can't know many people then." Mr. Summers had sneered.

"I don't. Right now I know him, and I know you, and he's winning."

Logan laughed behind her while Summers looked shocked.

"I think we're done." Logan had said. He'd dropped an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the car.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted." She said quietly.

"Are you kidding? That was great Kid."

"Really? Cuz I kinda liked it." He laughed again.

"That's my girl." He ruffled her hair and she tried not to look like a happy cat when he did.

The first thing Jade saw when they arrived at this new mansion was a window shattering followed by someone being thrown, literally thrown like a stone or stick would, out of it. They landed with a sickening sound on the grass, but Logan didn't look too concerned when Jade had rushed over.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She'd started. But the other person was LAUGHING.

"Am I okay? I'M FUCKING BRILLIANT. Did you see that? CAP. HEY, CAP!" A blonde man stuck his head out of the broken window, looking thoroughly bothered.

"How much air did I get?"

"NOT THE TIME TONY, GET THE HELL BACK INSIDE!" he shouted like he was insane before ducking away from the window. Something else came flying thought the broken glass, but this appeared to be a desk.

Tony stood, brushing himself off and grinning at them.

"Sorry, Bruce is flipping out. Better get back in there." He said, seeming unconcerned with the cut on his cheek that was bleeding profusely.

"Hey assface." He added too Logan as he stared back inside the building.

"Need some help?" he asked as though even if Tony said yes he'd turn around and walk away.

"We like Bruce remember? And friends are always better when they don't have six new holes in their bodies." He disappeared into the building.

"You know, I get the feeling not many people like you." Jade mused. They heard what sounded like an overdramatic battle cry as Tony returned to the room.

"Nope, they really don't." He said, not sounding bothered by this fact at all.

"But I like you." She said, sounding confused by this statement. He just laughed at her.

"Come on Kid."

"Really? Did you need to scream like that?" Steve said, shaking his head and wiping a hand across his face.

"Well, it distracted him didn't?" Tony said happily, "Wow. I totally get what Thor's talking about - battle is SO much cooler if you scream going into it." He was bouncing from foot to foot. The Hulk was down and now only a passed out Banner lied before them.

"What did you say to tick him off?" He stopped, suddenly going perfectly innocent. "Nothing." He said, blinking coyly at him. Steve just shook his head.

"Well... it could have been something... along the lines off... "hey, did you know that I change your laptop settings a few weeks back then forgot, so all the data you've been recording is wrong?" Steve groaned.

"Why, Tony, why?" He practically begged. He shrugged.

"Clint dared me to do it."

"And you LISTENED?"

"Well, yeah, cuz now I have photos of him in a dress." He said, like this was a perfectly reasonable exchange.

Steve stood, looking pissed.

"You're cleaning this up." He said seriously.

"Aw, come on Steve, that's not fair!" Tony whined, following him from the room.

"No, it's not fair accidentally tormenting your friend into his worst fears. You know how much he fights not to turn into the hulk and you go around provoking it?" Oh, Captain America was so damn good at guilt trips.

Tony pouted, pushing out his lips just a little and allowed himself to look entirely guilty. Sure, he felt guilty as well, but he was too much of a hyper person too show it really without faking some of it.

"I-I'm sorry. I just... thought it would be fun is all... I didn't know he'd get so made, Peter never gets mad and I just thought Bruce might feel left out otherwise..."

He could see Steve's resolve crumbling a little.

"That's cheating." he said with a frown. Oh, Steve never could resist Tony's puppy dog eyes.

"I'll go... sorry you had to fight..." He turned to leave when Steve sighed heavily.

"Tony," he said catching his hand, "stop it okay? Just... come on, you're bleeding." He tugged him to the bathroom.

"Better?" He asked after he'd patched him up - the action was totally un-neccessary, the cut nearly completely healed by the time Steve got a bandage on it with the extremis working a treat, but Tony allowed him his fun.

"Yeah, much," he said with a playful grin. Steve rolled his eyes, taking advantage of Tony's current proximity to pull him against Steve.

"You're such a child," he said with a small smile.

"Shut up you love it."

"I do. I really do." He murmured. He ducked down, pressing his lips against Tony's and chuckling at the happy little sound he made in response.

"You're still cleaning the room." He added.

"Aw come ON!"


End file.
